

SPERMATOPHYTA GRAMIXEAE GRASSES 357 



thick growth of long hair are seriously inconvenienced. Sheep suffer most. The 

 spines readily find a lodgment in the wool, and after burrowing through it frequently 

 penetrate the skin and bury themselves in the flesh. A large number of these barbs 

 thus entering the tissues of the body produce an amount of irritation that -is sometimes 

 followed by death. I have seen large numbers of these imbedded in the skin and 

 muscular tissues of shepherd dogs that were covered with a thick growth of soft hair. 

 These sagacious animals frequently exhibit the greatest dread at being sent into the 

 grass during the season of danger. 



Professor Bessey in his inquiries into the structure and nature of this 

 plant received several responses, one of which, from Professor King, formerly 

 of the University of Wisconsin, was as follows: 



In connection with the two notes relating to the fruit of the porcupine grass, it 

 may not be without interest to say that while engaged in geological work in Dakota, 

 north of the Northern Pacific railroad, we were much annoyed by the fruit of this grass. 

 Indeed, I found the only way to walk with comfort through this grass was to roll my 

 pants above my knees and my socks down over my shoes. I also observed, on several 

 occasions, these seeds planted two inches deep in the soil with the awns protruding 

 from the ground. It is plain that with the point of one of these fruits once entered 

 below the soil, the swelling and shrinking, due to varying amounts of moisture, would 

 work the seeds directly into the ground. 



The Stipa comata, or needle grass of the west, which is common through- 

 out the Dakotas, and throughout west Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming and Colo- 

 rado, is common in prairie hay, and Prof. Thomas A. Williams mentions that, 

 though a forage plant, and not cut until the needles have fallen so that the 

 stock may not be injured, the fruit of this plant often injures stock to a con- 

 siderable extent. During the past summer in Alberta, Canada, the writer suf- 

 fered some inconvenience from the penetration of the fruit through the clothes- 



S'tipa robusia,Vasey. Sleepy Grass 



A large grass from 4-6 feet high growing in dense clumps ; leaves involute, 

 setaceous, large, flattened, 1-2 feet long; panicle 1-1^ ft. long; spikelets 4-5 

 lines long, on short pedicels; empty glume nearly equal 3-5 lines long; variable 

 in length up to \ l / 2 inches, slender flexuous ; palet about % length of glume. 



Distribution. From Colorado to Texas and Mexico. 



Poisonous properties. This is the grass which is properly called Sleepy 

 Grass and is poisonous. Dr. Vasey says the variety in parts of Texas and 

 Mexico is known as Sleepy Grass, so called for its intoxicating and narcotic 

 effect upon horses or cattle which feed upon it. 



In the west this species of grass has received the common appellation of 

 sleepy grass. It has long been regarded by range people as poisonous. Dr. 

 Palmer, who found this grass in Coahuila, observed that it was poisonous to 

 cattle, horses, and sheep, causing them temporary sleepiness. Later Dr. Havard 

 states that in 1888 he received from Dr. M. E. Taylor, of Stanton, N. M., a 

 grass with the following statement : 



Hereabouts grows a grass the eating of which by horses will, within a few hours, 

 produce profound sleepiness or stupor, lasting twenty-four or forty-eight hours, when 



n.imals rally and give no evidence of bad effects. It is known among cowboys as 

 "sleepy grass" and dreaded by them on their "round ups" as their horses are liable 

 to eat it and cannot then be kept up with the herds. The tradition is that horses 

 that have once eaten of it will not touch it again. 



To quote from Dr. Havard: 



From the same gentleman I received a letter in 1890, in which he says: "Since 

 I corresponded with Dr. Taylor it has been brought to my notice that cattfe are 

 affected in a similar way to horses, and that the curious properties which so affect animals 

 are contained in the blades Quite a number of our horses have been ill this spring 



